Harry Sprinkle eats a meal at St. John's Bread and Life, a free meal service, on December 23, 2011 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. St. John's Bread and Life serves approximately 2,200 meals per day; the organization has existed since 1982. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

“Microscope images forge an extraordinary bond between science and art, said Hidenao Tsuchiya, Olympus America's Vice President and General Manager for the Scientific Equipment Group. We founded this competition to focus on the fascinating stories coming out of today's life science research laboratories. The thousands of images that people have shared with the competition over the years reflect some of the most exciting work going on in research today – work that can help shed light on the living universe and ultimately save lives. We look at BioScapes and these beautiful images as sources of education and inspiration to us and the world”. – OlympusBioScapes

Photo: Pretarsus of the third leg of a female drone fly (Eristalis tenax), ventral view, by Dr. Jan Michels, Institute of Zoology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. (Photo by Olympus BioScapes)

Models Felicia Verna and Crystal Boyd wearing Stacey Angela during the Fallen Hearts Fashion Experience at Symphony Space on May 31, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Victoria's Secret angels Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Alessandra Ambrosio and Miranda Kerr arrive at the 2011 Victoria's Secret SWIM Collection Pink Carpet Event hosted by VS Angels at Club L on March 30, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

The double compound eyes of a male St. Mark's fly (Bibio marci), submitted by Dr. David Maitland from Feltwell, UK. (Dr. David Maitland)

Lukas Podolski of Koeln is challenged by Philipp Wollscheid of Nuernberg during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Koeln and 1. FC Nuernberg at RheinEnergieStadion on April 3, 2011 in Cologne, Germany.

A detail of "Supersilvio" by Francesco De Molfetta representing the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is displayed during the MiArt 2011 Contemporary and Modern Art International Fair press preview on April 7, 2011 in Milan, Italy.

Music fans attend Day 1 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2011 held at the Empire Polo Club on April 15, 2011 in Indio, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)